Match Facts

Saturday, March 6, Providence
Start time 0930 (1330 GMT)

	Kieron Pollard has much to offer in the middle order and will look to make amends for his lapse in the first ODI © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Greg Lamb | Kieron Pollard Series/Tournaments: Zimbabwe tour of West Indies Teams: West Indies | Zimbabwe

Big Picture

Ottis Gibson's tenure as West Indies coach could not have begun on a worse note. In his two internationals at the helm, his team has slumped to unprecedented lows - a defeat in the very first Twenty20 between the sides, and an ODI loss for the first time against Zimbabwe at home.

The series was meant as an opportunity to cast aside the memories of a winless tour of Australia and begin a fresh phase with a dose of success. But the performance in the first ODI in Providence, where three batsmen - Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin and Dwayne Smith - played irresponsibly to bungle a winnable position presents the hosts with a renewed headache. The trio played poor shots to be dismissed, and poor running between the wickets cost Andre Fletcher and Narsingh Deonarine. It was the middle order that led the resistance, though inadequate, against Australia in the 0-4 loss, but the trend was reversed on Thursday, with the same personnel wilting under pressure on a sluggish track.

For starters, Chris Gayle's blunt description of the middle-order collapse as "crap" is a step in the right direction. He acknowledged Zimbabwe's competitiveness, but his own team's failure to measure up would have hit the confidence of a man who, not too long ago, had aimed at a 4-1 win against Australia.

Amid poor crowds and declining form, West Indies are battling for pride against an opposition which, with each successful outing, is shoring up the resolve and determination to return from self-imposed exile.

Form Guide (Last five completed matches)

Watch out for

Greg Lamb was the best of Zimbabwe's bowlers, conceding just 35 in ten overs despite his lack of variation. His strategy was to angle the ball in towards off stump, leaving little room for the batsman to get him away. But Lamb, who decided to return to Zimbabwe after being released by Hampshire last year, is primarily a batsman and a fairly successful one at the domestic level. With an average of 55.68 in the Logan Cup, the first-class tournament, and 64 in the one-day competition, Lamb could prove a handful in the middle order.

Ruthless batting in the Champions League Twenty20 won Kieron Pollard a US$750,000 IPL contract with Mumbai Indians, and his successful stint with South Australia contributed towards him making scores of 31, 32, 62 and 45 in the ODI series in February. An average of 17.88 in ODIs - not befitting a player of his talent - and the lapse in the first ODI should spur him to make amends.

Team news

An unexpected defeat is likely to prompt a change in plans for the hosts. Though Dwayne Bravo has not been named in the squad for the first two ODIs, a call-up, given the urgency of a series-levelling win, cannot be ruled out. Bravo could take Dwayne Smith's place if he has recovered from an injured thumb; if not, Darren Sammy could be drafted in. Ramnaresh Sarwan, also not in the squad for the Providence fixtures, has warmed up nicely with a century for Guyana in the domestic four-day competition. The signs are that he has recovered well from his back injury and West Indies will be tempted to have him in the line-up, stepping in for Andre Fletcher.

West Indies (probable) - 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Adrian Barath, 3 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 4 Andre Fletcher/Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Narsingh Deonarine, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy/Dwayne Smith, 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Kemar Roach.

Zimbabwe will be keen to retain their four-pronged spin attack and are likely to field the same team. While Zimbabwe have so far opted for Brendan Taylor, who is an attacking batsman and also provides them with an additional spin option, the absence of Charles Coventry, the previous joint record-holder for the highest score in ODIs, remains a surprise.

Zimbabwe (probable) - 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 4 Brendan Taylor/Charles Coventry, 5 Stuart Matsikenyeri, 6 Greg Lamb, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Prosper Utseya (capt), 10 Shingirai Masakadza, 11 Ray Price.

Pitch and conditions

Spinners are likely to feature prominently in friendly conditions in Providence and the forecast points towards a mostly sunny but windy day. A sluggish track, spinners racing through their overs and a tempered run-rate were the features of the first game, and the second promises much the same.

Stats and trivia

• Barath consumed 27 deliveries from Lamb for just 11 runs. Ray Price, too, troubled him, conceding just eight in 24 balls. In contrast, Shivnarine Chanderpaul took Lamb for 18 in 21 and Price for eight in as many. Taibu's innovativeness was evident in his scoring rates against West Indian spinners - he took Nikita Miller for 19 in 17 and Deonarine for 29 in 24.

• Vusi Sibanda's 162-ball 95 is seventh in the list for the number of balls faced for a score of under 100. The list is led by the PCB's newly-appointed chairman of selectors Mohsin Khan, who ate up 176 balls for his 70 against West Indies in the second semi-final of the 1983 World Cup. Next is Sunil Gavaskar, with his infamous 174-ball 36 against England in the 1975 World Cup.

Quotes

"When you do crap, it's definitely crap and there is no excuse. Guys have to take responsibility out there in the middle. It is just sad and disappointing."
Chris Gayle is straightforward in his criticism of the dispiriting performance in the first ODI.

"West Indies are still a good side. We still respect them. For us to beat them, we need to make sure that we play hard, remain focussed, pay attention to the small things, and remain disciplined."
Prosper Utseya lays down the strategy to upset West Indies.